Between Friends
by pandorabox82
Summary: Elle and Connie go out for drinks after their shift so that Elle can talk about her reservations regarding Charlie and Duffy. But will that be the only thing that is discussed between friends?


Elle felt like she was being pulled in too many directions at once. Covering for Connie while she had been on holiday seeing Grace had seemed like a dream opportunity, but she was quickly learning that the role was so much more demanding than Connie made it look. Then again, the woman made everything look so easy. Which was why she knew that they would have to have a chat at the end of the day. Because she was truly worried about Charlie and Duffy, and she knew that they would have to watch out for the both of them, so that no acrimony arose on the floor. The ED was stressful enough without adding marital strife atop it.

After she had given a slight pep talk to Ethan, Elle had made her way over to Connie's office, knocking softly before heading inside. The woman was sitting at her desk, tapping away at her keyboard, and Elle found a soft smile spreading across her face as she took a seat in the chair across the way. She noticed one of Connie's eyebrows quirk up, though she didn't acknowledge her presence. Which suited Elle just fine as it allowed her to study the woman closely. Her hair had grown and the new style made her look so sophisticated. She went to touch her own hair, feeling a bit frumpy in comparison, when Connie looked at her.

"Don't. You look fine."

"How did you…"

"You always do that when you feel insecure. You're lovely, end of. Now, why are you here?"

She cleared her throat before looking at a spot slightly above her shoulder. "Would you mind going out to the pub with me? I'd feel a little more comfortable talking about this outside the hospital."

"Fine. But you're going to have to give me a ride home, since I don't have a vehicle here today."

"That will be fine," she replied quickly, giving Connie a brighter smile. "Do you have much to do before heading out?"

"There will always be paperwork and emails and proposals and grants. As well you should know."

"I left it all for you, since I'm not the most political of people. You are much more suited for that than I am." Connie let a little smirk dance on her lips, and Elle swallowed a little as she tugged at the hem of her leather coat. That move just seemed to encourage Connie's smirk, as it grew wider as she turned her focus back onto her monitor. "I will be sad to see Alicia go, even if this is the best opportunity for her career."

"We'll need to watch over Ethan. Somehow I don't think he'll take the separation quite as well as she will."

Elle nodded as leaned back in the chair, watching Connie closely as she finished what she was doing. She didn't know why she was so fascinated by her friend, but there was something that called out to her, and Elle wondered what it was that so fascinated her about Connie. Finally, the woman was pushing away from her desk, and Elle followed her to her feet, trying not to get in her way as she navigated her luggage over towards the door. "Do you want me to wheel that?" she asked, reaching for the handle.

"That was the plan," Connie replied as she slipped into her coat. Elle watched her slip the buttons into the holes, blushing a little when she met Connie's eyes. "You really have missed me."

The teasing tone in Connie's voice took her slightly off guard, and she nodded as she took hold of the handle on the suitcase, following Connie from the office and out the doors of the ED, leading her over to her car. As Connie took a seat on the passenger side, Elle placed the suitcase in the boot of her car, slamming it shut before getting behind the wheel. "Ready to head out?"

The inane question caused Connie to roll her eyes a little, and Elle flushed as she turned the car out, pulling out of her spot. She gave a small wave to Henrik as she drove past him, and then she was making her way to the pub she preferred, knowing that few, if any, of their colleagues would head there. Glancing over at Connie as she pulled into a parking space, Elle saw that she was smiling a little wider as she opened the door and climbed out.

Elle scrambled out of the car to follow after Connie when she didn't wait for her, pressing the lock button on her key fob before shoving it into her purse as she jogged up to Connie and knocked shoulders with her. "Way to wait for me."

"I knew you could catch up to me. Order me a gin and tonic, and I'll find us a place to sit." Before Elle could reply, Connie had disappeared into the depths of the building, and she shook her head a little as she turned on her heel and made her way to the bar. Thankfully, there weren't too many people there yet, and she was served within a few minutes. Taking hold of their drinks, Elle went in the direction that Connie had, hoping to find her sooner rather than later. "Over here."

She turned her head at the sound of Connie's voice, and grinned to see that she had managed to find them a secluded table close to the fireplace. Setting the glasses on the table, she unzipped her coat and placed it on the back of her chair before taking a seat. "If you want anything to eat, we should probably get an order in fairly soon."

"I'll get that when I order another drink. Now, why are we here?"

Trust Connie to get right to the point, where she would prefer to exchange pleasantries first. Taking a deep breath, she worried her glass between her hands as she stared at the table. It was only when Connie reached across the table to touch her wrist that she pulled herself from her thoughts to look into her friend's eyes. "Sorry, I was just trying to find an easy way to say this. I don't think it will be just Ethan that we have to look out for. While you were gone, it appears that Charlie and Duffy have gone through a little crisis of their own and are no longer together."

"I'm sorry?"

"That was my reaction to, when I overheard Lou and Robyn gossiping about it. I quashed those murmurings right quick, though I was called your clone for that piece of management." Connie let out a low chuckle as she picked up her glass and sipped at her gin. "But seriously, this has the potential to disrupt our entire department. Those two have long been the steady, sturdy, coworkers that we have depended upon to make certain that things run smoothly in the ED. If those two are sniping at each other, or things turn extremely disruptive, that has the potential to cause major upsets in our department. And given the current state of affairs at Holby General, we cannot afford to have anything create a scandal."

Connie nodded a little as she relaxed back in her chair, watching Elle. "You do have a good point, Elle. Has there been any rumblings of discontent among the nursing staff? I know that Louise was particularly short with everyone today, but that was because everyone seemed to be stretched thin. I know that you did a wonderful job keeping things running smoothly, David made certain to keep me abreast of the situation via email."

She let out a loud laugh before taking a long sip of her drink. "Why does it not surprise me that he did that?" Connie shrugged a little before drinking her gin, and Elle sighed gently as she shook her head. "And I haven't heard any issues yet, but I think that's because most of the staff understands that private lives should be private, even if some of that does spill over into our public selves. I just, I worry about Charlie. He loves Duffy so, and I can tell that he's hurting."

"You want to meddle."

Elle wanted to deny what Connie had said, but she knew that she was right. "Yes! I don't want them to throw away something so precious to them, and if there's any way that we can help them, I want them to know that, too!"

"Do not include me in this, Elle."

"You're already a part of it, Connie, as the doctor who runs the ED. We have to make certain that things stay on an even keel, and if that includes a little bit of meddling, then so be it."

Connie rolled her eyes a little as she finished off her gin. "You sit and think about those words as I get up another round and some food." She pushed away from the table, and Elle watched her disappear into the growing throng of people. There was something about the way she moved, deftly slipping into gaps that appeared between groups, that made Elle smile and wish she had that same grace Connie did.

She didn't really see what the problem with meddling was, especially when it happened between friends, though Connie seemed to think that it would lead to the end of the world. She could recognize that there was the potential for disaster, should things not work out the way that she wanted them to. This wasn't a simulation game, after all, where everything happened exactly as she wanted them. Sighing a little, Elle took the last swallow of her wine before setting the glass aside and waiting for Connie to return.

"So, did you give some thought to the situation?"

"I still think that we should carefully offer our support if they need anything, and perhaps diffuse any tense situations that occur while they're on the clock. After all, the ED sees enough chaos from the people who come in, we wouldn't want to add to that with fractious colleagues at each other's throats. And I think that we're wise enough to know when to jump in and when to hold back. Yes?"

Connie bobbled her head back and forth, her lips in a small pout. "You are too much a Pollyanna, Elle. What am I supposed to do when your little plan blows up in your face?" To her surprise, Connie reached across the table and touched her hand lightly. That touch caused an involuntary shiver to travel down her spine, and she tried to react normally and not tug her hand away, not wanting to acknowledge the way that she wanted to thread their fingers together, to lean in just a little bit and look closer. Still, she noticed Connie's nostrils flare just a little, and her breathing picked up a tick as Connie closed her fingers around Elle's wrist, opening her mouth as if to say something more when their food arrived at the table.

They both pulled away quickly and Elle cleared her throat softly as she looked to see what Connie had chosen for her. It was plain to see that the woman knew her well, as there was a generous pile of chips on her plate, along with a side of cheese sauce. It didn't take her long to dive into them, and she listened to Connie chuckle as she also tucked into her food, having chosen something a little more refined. "I guess," she started after swallowing, "that we'll just have to play everything by ear when it comes to Charlie and Duffy. I mean, we're all wounded souls just trying to make our way through this world, right?"

"Right," Connie murmured lowly, causing Elle to look up at her suddenly. There was a troubled look in her eyes, and Elle drew in a soft breath, reaching across the table for Connie's hand before she thought things through, giving it a squeeze as she smiled. "What happens here between friends stays here, yes?"

"Of course. I would never think to betray your confidence. What's bothering you?"

Connie gave a furtive look around the room before leaning in and speaking lowly. "I missed you more than I thought I would. And that bothers me, because that means you've gotten under my skin. I don't want to go home tonight to an empty house."

"Connie…"

"Please, let me finish. I need to work out what this is before I make a mistake and destroy something that is precious to me, but also which I know could hurt me so deeply. I've been burned by relationships before, you know."

Elle nodded as things fell into place for her. Connie's hesitant words seemed to lift a veil from her heart, and she recognized that same yearning that was in her heart. "We've all been burned by things gone wrong, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't try again. And I think that I'd like to try again with you. Of course, you can come home with me tonight, but I'm putting you up in the guest room, as I am not that easy."

Connie blushed deeply as she nodded. "I'm glad that you feel the same way. There's no room for loneliness in my heart tonight." Connie squeezed her hand tightly before pulling away, as if she had revealed enough of herself in that moment. Elle gave her a little wider smile as she started to eat once more. "And I trust that, whatever comes of this experience, it stays between friends?"

"Until you're ready to make it public, yes." Elle pressed her fingers to her lips before turning her hand to face Connie, watching another blush slip across face before she returned the gesture. She ducked her chin into her chest as she smiled bashfully, a tender feeling settling in her heart as she picked up her glass and took a small sip of wine before looking back up at Connie, a feeling of contentment sweeping over her heart at the sight of her smiling back. This was going to be a very interesting relationship, as long as they kept it between friends.


End file.
